§ Statement of Purpose

The View from 1776 presents a framework to understand present-day issues from the viewpoint of the colonists who fought for American independence in 1776 and wrote the Constitution in 1787. Knowing and preserving those understandings, what might be called the unwritten constitution of our nation, is vital to preserving constitutional government. Without them, the bare words of the Constitution are just a Rorschach ink-blot that politicians, educators, and judges can interpret to mean anything they wish.

"We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our constitution is made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams, to the Officers of the First Brigade, Third Division, Massachusetts Militia, October 11, 1798.

Of course, that probably doesn’t matter to Senator Obama and his liberal-progressive supporters. Their conception of foreign policy is simply to make the United States more popular. Presumably, we should make nice to the Europeans so that they will like us, even if that requires sacrificing our own national security interests.

Being, in effect, at the beck and call of our enemies like the Iranians, prepared to accede to their conditions, will please them and will show the Europeans that the United States is willing to abandon its 50-year role as protector of political liberty here and for our allies. The French, in particular, will be happy, as one of their long-time objectives has been to cut down our strength and thereby to make France an equal power in foreign affairs.